Composition of matter for manufacturing toys.



JOSEPH BILLY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

COMPOSITION OF MATTER FOR MANUFACTURING TOYS.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JosEPH F. BILLY, a subject of the Emperor of Austria, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Composition of Matter for Manufacturing Toys, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to compositions of matter, and its object is to provide a composition especially adapted for the manufacture of toys, particularly toy images.

It has heretofore been proposed to make certain toy images, or even larger images of plastic compositions, which will subsequently harden and which may be ornamented in various ways.

Such images are made in large quantities and paper stock has been employed in the composition. It has been found, however, that the images are often quite fragile or have other objectional features.

By the present invention paper stock is utilized, but only paper stock of a peculiar nature, and in conjunction with such paper stock other ingredients are used whereby not only is the manufacture of the artlcles facilitated, but the finished articles are particularly resistant to handling and to other conditions, so that the composition is especially adapted for the manufacture of toys where rough handling is to 'be expected. Furthermore, the composition is susceptible of variations, especially in the amount of paper stock used, whereby with larger articles the strength of the finished article may be materially increased to an extent commensurate with the size of the article.

The composition is made up of gray pasteboard which may be reduced to small pieces and soaked in water until softened and capable of being worked by the human hands or otherwise into a more or less coherent mass. This material constitutes a filler in the composition and also imparts strength to the composition. Gray pasteboard is characterized by having strong fibers, therein differing from other paper stock which has been employed as a filler for composition from which toys are made.

Flour made from wheat, rye, or other suitable grain is treated with bo1l1ng hot water and thereby produces a paste. Gray pasteboard treated as described is susceptible of absorbing and holding a relatively large Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 9, 1918.

Patented Jan. 28, 1919.

Serial No. 253,269.

amount of the flour paste so that the resultant composition is particularly strong.

There is also provided a suflicient amount of dry powder such as calcimine, alabastine, powdered chalk, silver white, or the like, which when mixed with the gray pasteboard and flour paste serves as a coloring for the mass and also hardens the mass.

The gray pasteboard is torn or otherwise divided into small pieces and put into warm or cold Water in a vessel to soak. When this has proceeded for, say a half day, more or less, the mass is worked and stirred until no more pieces of the pasteboard remain as such. The thoroughly soaked mass is then subjected to squeezing to expel excess water and is formed into balls or blocks of approximately the size of the human fist.

The flour is subjected to the action of boiling water and is stirred until it is about the consistency of dough, only sufficient water being used for the purpose. The balls of fiber are then broken into small pieces and put into the hot fiour paste and mixed together until the whole mass is so thoroughly intermixed that the ingredients are not separately distinguishable, the consistency of the mass being that of stiff dough and is further worked on a table or other support in the same manner as dough is worked. Then the dry paint powder is sprinkled into the mass until there is produced a stiff product very similar to bakers dough and is worked out in like manner. It is further treated upon a suitable support with a roller in like manner to bakers dough until the ingredients are all thoroughly intermixed.

Sheets of the material. still in a plastic condition are Worked intosuitable molds which, for small articles, are preferably made of sulfur, but for large articles may be made of plaster of Paris, suitably coated on the inside to avoid sticking of the material to the molding surface.

The proportions of the ingredients may vary somewhat in accordance with the articles to be formed. For instance, the composition may consist of ten pounds of flour, wheat flour preferred, four balls of gray pasteboard, each of about the size or somewhat larger than the human fist, and dry paint powder in sufficient quantity to make the mixture of moist balls of gray pasteboard and flour paste into a stiff dough.

For other purposes where greater strength is desired, fifty pounds of flour and from fifteen to thirty of the gray pasteboard balls may be used, or with one hundred pounds of flour, from thirty five to fifty of the gray pasteboard balls may be used.

Since the gray pasteboard is a strengthgiving ingredient, the larger the amount of pasteboard in the composition the greater the strength within limits.

It is to be noted that in the composition the flour predominates, this having been found advantageous over compositions where the fibrous matter predominates.

The articles, such as toys and the like, are made from the moist or plastic material and may be formed in suitable molds. lVhen the molded articles are dried they are smooth, hard and particularly strong, the results being due to the long fiber of the gray pasteboard, the cementing action of the flour paste and its predominance in quantity, and the hardening action of the dry paint powder. Such paint powder, of course, may impart color to the finished article as may be desired.

The surface of the article is well adapted to take various ornamental finishes.

The finished articles may be allowed to dry spontaneously in the open air or may be dried by artificial heat.

The material is cheap and useful, and for many purposes may replace metal thereby not only reducing the cost of the articles made therefrom but conserving metal.

What is claimed is 1. A composition for the purpose described, comprising an intermixture of moist disintegrated pasteboard and flour paste, the flour paste predominating.

2. A composition for the purpose described, comprising an intermixture of disintegrated gray pasteboard, flour paste, and paint powder, the flour paste predominating.

3. A composition for the purpose described, comprising an intermixture of disintegrated pasteboard, flour, paint powder and water, with the'fiour paste predominating and the mass in a condition like that of stiff dough.

4. The process of producing a composition of matter for the purpose described, consisting .in treating pasteboard with water until disintegrated, discharging surplus water from the mass to leave it in a damp coherent condition, forming hot flour paste with boiling water and flour, mixing the hot flour paste and moist disintegrated pasteboard into a dough-like mass, and then incorporating dry paint powder in the mass until the latter is of the consistency of stiff dough.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature.

JOSEPH F. BILLY.

Witnesses:

JOHN B. STAoKrooLE, RALPH; K. SEITZ.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patentl. Washington, D. 0." 

